David Norris (Independent)

I wish to refer to an issue I raised yesterday, which is the report of the Irish Human Rights Commission on rendition. It is an important matter and I compliment the Green Party, through you, a Chathaoirligh, on its apparently firm stand. I hope that party maintains its firm stand so as to extract for the first time honest answers from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern. It is too much to expect honesty from the Americans. I note that in the documents there is a reference to a statement from the United States ambassador that no US aircraft involved in the illegal transfer of prisoners had landed in Shannon. We know that is a lie, however. It is a disgrace that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has attacked those who did the job he should have done, referring to them as a self-appointed activist group. Thank God for them. They noted the planes and gave us their flight patterns so we know the truth, which is that planes involved in rendition landed in Shannon repeatedly as part of an unbroken cycle of rendition. When the Minister talks about Ireland's total opposition to rendition does it include refuelling those planes? How does that express total opposition? It is time we had a debate on this matter.

We should also have a debate on the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. It is outrageous that a person who heard the most appeals, who openly boasted that he never allowed one person into the country, and who is paid for this, has been allowed to withdraw on health grounds in the middle of an action by somebody who said they did not want their case to be heard by this person because he had never allowed somebody through. I am calling for an immediate examination of this matter by way of an inquiry into the refugee appeals system. What rights do the dozens or hundreds of people have who were denied access by this man, who was clearly unfit? What will happen to them? Will their cases be reopened? How are those working in the refugee appeals system selected, what are their qualifications and why are they not accountable when they behave in this way? The whole system is rotten.

I have already raised in this House the case of a man whom I know personally and who is completely blameless and without a stain on his character. He has been blackguarded by some little squirt in the police service, and a black mark was put on his record thus denying him citizenship of this country. He was told his application had been denied and that he could appeal, but that in doing so he must quote the reasons for the initial rejection. However, when he applied for the reasons for the rejection, he was refused access to them. This is madness. What is happening in this area? It is a shambles and an abuse of human rights. We should have a firm examination of the matter. I am calling for an inquiry into the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, which is a shame to citizens of this country.